Maggio named chair-elect of Southland Conference Board of Directors

FRISCO, Texas – Northwestern State University President Dr. Chris Maggio’s already-decorated, athletic-based resume grew by another line after the Southland Conference’s Spring Meeting.

Maggio, a former Demons track and field athlete and assistant track and field coach, was named the chair-elect of the Southland Conference’s Board of Directors following three days of meetings at the Weston Stonebriar Hotel.

Maggio will serve a two-year term as the chair-elect, succeeding Central Arkansas President Dr. Houston Davis, who follows Sam Houston State President Dr. Dana Hoyt, whose two-year term concluded at the end of the meetings.

“It is certainly an honor to be selected by my peers in this important role,” Maggio said. “The Southland Conference plays such a vital role in the lives of thousands of student-athletes, and it is a privilege to be selected for a leadership role in this policy and decision-making board.”

Northwestern State Director of Athletics Greg Burke facilitated the meetings as the President of the Southland Conference Advisory Council. Burke and Sam Houston State Senior Woman Administrator Chris Thompson were honored for their service on the NCAA Division I Academics Committee and the NCAA Division I Advisory Council. Both terms conclude in August.

The annual meetings saw five conference championship sites awarded for the 2020-21 academic year. Abilene Christian will host the 2020 women’s soccer tournament, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will host the volleyball championship, Houston Baptist was chosen as the host for the beach volleyball tournament, Lamar will host both men’s and women’s tennis championships, and Southeastern Louisiana will host the 2021 softball tournament.

Additionally, the conference announced the expansion of the league’s volleyball tournament, which will become a four-day event in 2020, utilizing a similar format as the league’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

The conference also approved the addition of a center judge in football, effective in the 2021 season. The center judge has been common in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, including the Big 12 Conference and the Mountain West Conference with which the Southland shares an officiating consortium.